Suspect takes police on a chase across river and through woods
By Ben Austin
Staff Writer
A police foot chase, which went through the woods and across the Meduxnekeag River, last week ended after the burglary suspect was found hiding on a resident’s porch.
A man wearing a tan hooded jacked and blue jeans was spotted in the early hours of Monday, July 14 breaking into the soda machine just outside Graham’s Redemption, according to the police report.
When Houlton Police arrived at the scene they spotted the man matching the eye witness description. The hooded man, after seeing police, took off on foot into the tree line and disappeared into the darkness.
At the scene police found and seized numerous objects used to break into the machine, including several drills. Police found that the lock of the soda machine had been drilled out, and money, as well as bottles of soda, had been taken by the thief.
The suspect, apparently walking back to the scene to recover his lost items, was seen walking up Washburn Street five hours after the incident. After catching a glimpse of one of the officers who was covering the scene, the suspect took off running once again, this time through backyards in the area, during which time he climbed over and destroyed a resident’s fence as he fled. Residents who witnessed this behavior called the Houlton Police Department, completely unaware that the man was being pursued by police.
The chase continued as the suspect descended down the bank, crossing the Meduxnekeag River and headed for the road on the opposite bank.
At this point, the soaking wet suspect, identified as Eric Stevens, 35 of Houlton, flagged down a motorist, claiming that his car was stuck on the other side of the river, and asked for a ride.
“He portrayed that he had a vehicle breakdown, and that he had to cross the river, and he was looking for a ride. He was refused that ride and the person he requested it from called the police,” explained Lt. Dan Pelletier of the Houlton Police Department.
Lt. Pelletier found Stevens hiding under a pile of trash bags on a resident’s porch soon after. Stevens was arrested for burglary, theft and numerous counts of criminal mischief. There were small amounts of damage to Graham’s Redemption, and some undisclosed items were taken from within the building.
The investigation on this incident has continued throughout the past week, as officers Crouse and Nason tried to tie up lose ends, and attempted to find a connection between this incident and the recent vandalism which has sprouted up around Houlton in the past weeks.
“There has been new information and there are also have been new leads. We’re not so much trying to tie [the incident] into the vandalism, but find out in fact if it is linked to it,” explained Lt. Pelletier during a phone interview Thursday.
